


On Nights Like This

by SilverCrane



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Hospitals, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:22:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22469332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverCrane/pseuds/SilverCrane
Summary: It's a dark night. They aren't supposed to be here, sitting on the swings of the forlorn playground, entwined hands swinging between them."Blink." Mush calls, and he instinctively turns to the source of his voice, ignoring the squeaking protest of his swings."What do you think happens when we die?"
Relationships: Kid Blink/Mush Meyers
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	On Nights Like This

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! It's me. I've actually been sitting on this for a while, but I might as well post it now, right? 
> 
> Anyways, I love Blink+Mush, that's all thank you

It's a dark night. They aren't supposed to be here, sitting on the swings of the forlorn playground, entwined hands swinging between them.

It's dark, and they aren't supposed to be here, but moments like these are hard to come by.

It's Mush who breaks the silence, his voice impossibly soft.

"Hey."

Blink tilts his head towards Mush, to acknowledge him. He continues, giving Blink's hand a small squeeze.

"What do you think happens when we die?"

It was a question often asked, and Blink would be lying if he said he hadn't brought it up once or twice. He scratches his hospital bracelet before answering, carefully picking his words.

"I think... I think we get to do whatever we want. With no restrictions, no grownups, no nothing."

Mush laughs, running a hand over his shorn head. Blink had seen the photos of Before, had seen the beautiful curls Mush had once had. They were gone now, but oh, how he longed to run his fingers through them.

"I think that sounds pretty good, Kid." 

Blink smiles, turning his eyes back towards the sky. (This was back when he had both eyes, even if they didn't work quite right, and things weren't _great_ but they were _fine,_ and Blink didn't wake up from nightmares about brown eyes and soft laughter and interlocked fingers)

Mush lasts a full minute before interrupting the silence again. Not that Blink minded. The hospital was silent enough as it was, and the day Mush stopped talking would be the day he died.  
"Hey."

Blink flicks his eyes back down, giving Mush's hand a small squeeze. "Hey." He echoes.

"You know that poem thing?" The one about the garden?" 

Blink exhales through his nose. Everyone knew about the garden poem. "Sure, Mush."

"What d'you think about it?"

"I think it's bullshit."

Mush giggles, and Blink scowls. "No, I'm serious! If I'm in a garden, I'm pickin' whatever! None of this nonsense about 'best flowers'." He marks his words with air quotes, dropping Mush's hand for a second.

"Yeah but-" Mush pauses, brown eyes flicking up to meet Blink's. "Wouldn't you pick the best ones? If you were God, in Heaven, and you wanted people to be your angels?" He goes quiet, chewing at his lip.

"I'm just- worried." He says in a small voice. 

"You're not one of the good ones." Blink says matter-of-factly. "You're one of the so-so ones."

"Wow, thanks." Mush says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Blink grins, elbowing Mush in the side.

"You know what I mean, Mushy."

Mush goes quiet again, hands wrapped around the metal links of the swing set. They'd once been covered in a rubber casing, but that had long since worn off. Blink's hands come back red with rust when he removes them, dropping to his lap. He rocks gently, feet remaining on the ground.

"I used to think I could touch the sky, if I swung fast enough." Mush interrupts, swinging faster. "Like- maybe, if I tried hard enough, just maybe..." He trails off, dragging himself to a stop. Blink gets tired just watching him, a never-ending bundle of energy.

"We should sneak out." Mush says suddenly, standing up. His eyes gleam with excitement, and Blink can't help but smile.

It was ironic. Blink was always the one pegged as the troublemaker, with his permanent scowl and his badly cut hair and his bad habit of speaking back. Mush, on the other hand, was seen as a good kid, with his good grades and his friendly attitude and his stupid, stupid smile.

"You know we can't do that, Mush." He says softly, and Mush deflates. 

"Okay- but if you could? Where would you go?" He was on the move now, spinning around the empty playground. Blink slips off his swing to follow him, watching with tired eyes.

"I dunno, Mush."

"Anywhere." Mush prompts, climbing up the slide and clinging to the top, looking down as if he were a king surveying his land.

Blink leans against the slide pole, thinking for a second. "The beach." He says finally.

"The beach?"

"Yeah. I ain't never been. Think it'd be cool. You?" He glances up at Mush, who leans backwards, back resting against the belly of the slide.

"Space." He says, letting his arms dangle down the slide. Blink sits down on the slide, staring up at Mush.

"Space?"

"Yeah, space. I wanna see what the moon's like. Or- or what it's like on Mars!" He sits up suddenly, swinging his legs around to face Blink. "Wouldn't that be cool, Blink?"

Blink rolls his eyes. "Sure, Mush." Stars never made much sense to him. Mush could pick out constellations and planets and all kinds of things. But Blink? He couldn't even name all the planets, never mind the constellations.

Mush lapses into silence again, only to break it a few minutes later. "What's your dream job?"

Blink sits up, craning his neck to look at Mush. "Why?"

Mush shrugs.

"A doctor, I guess. Make sure other kids don't get the same thing I got."

Mush nods, frowning slightly. "Me too."

There's a long silence, and Blink pushes himself up onto his elbows. He blinks a few times, Mush coming into focus. He has a strange look on his face, eyes focused on some far off point Blink can't see.

"What are you think about, Mush?" He asks softly, leaning against the slide. His skin burns against the cheap plastic, and he winces.

"You think our friends miss us?"

Blink rolls his eyes. "Sure they do, Mush! And soon you'll be with them again, got that?"

Mush nods, but the faraway look in his eyes remains. 

"How about you?" 

He blinks at that, lifting his chin from the cool plastic. "What about me?"

Mush gives a short laugh. "Do you think your friends miss you?"

Blink thinks about his friends. He hadn't really had many in the years before the hospital. He'd had classmates, sure, but no one close enough to visit him when he got sick.

"Sure my dog misses me." He settles, pushing himself off the slide and crossing his legs under him. "Wonder if my mom's feeding him well?"

Mush giggles. "I'm sure she is, Lou."

Blink hums in thought, watching Mush. The moon is full, and it's light illuminates Mush's face, pooling in his deep brown eyes. He almost seems to glow, perched high up on the slide, head tilted towards the sky.

"You think there's life out there, Kid?" Mush asks, breaking the silence after a good five minutes. Blink pries his eyes open, stifling a yawn.

"Out where, Mush?"

"In space." He rotates his body, lying down on the slide. "You think there are aliens out there, Blink?" He asks, staring up at Blink with serious eyes. He's much closer now, and even as he speaks, he slides further down. Blink has to stand up to avoid getting run over, and he quickly swallows the wave of nausea that usually accompanied quick movements.

"Be careful, Mush." He warns. Mush just sticks his tongue out, sliding all the way down the slide. He turns on his side, facing Blink.

"Answer my question, Blinky."

Blink wrinkles his nose at that. "Blinky? Your nicknames keep getting worse and worse." Mush makes a face at him, and he sighs. "Fine. There's gotta be somethin' out there, right? We can't be the only ones here. I dunno, you're the space guy."

Mush hums, cupping his hands behind his head and staring up at the sky.

"I bet they're all tall and pasty with blond hair and a permanent scowl." He finally speaks. "And they're all named Louis Balletti and they all absolutely hate drinking milk and eating pistachios."

Blink scowls. "I feel like this is bullying, but I'm not quite sure how." He leans against the cool plastic of the slide, electric against his flushed skin. He's going to regret this in the morning, when he undoubtedly wakes up with a cold, but for now, it's worth it, just to hear Mush laugh one more time.

"It's not bullying if I say it with love, is it?" Mush asks, and Blink can practically hear his smile. He doesn't even need to use his eyes, getting exponentially worse with each passing day.

"I suppose not, but it still hurts me Mushy." Blink places a hand to his heart, leaning over the side of the slide, hovering above Mush's face. "Maybe I need some proof?"

Mush doesn't need much more prompting, grabbing Blink's face and pulling it down to meet his own. Blink has to brace himself on the slide in order to not fall, his skin burning feverishly whenever Mush touches him. 

He'd do it a thousand more times if it gave him more time with Mush.

It's a dark night, and they're not supposed to be here, but moments like these are hard to come by, and Blink'll be damned if he lets any of them slip by.

**Author's Note:**

> :) Have a nice day!!


End file.
